Re: Trying to work with a CM11A under Linux

Not sure about froogy but alot of people use

Damn... i guess it was too much to ask for the RF protocol to be the same as the line protocol. :)

Thanks for the clarification!

hmmm... perhaps i'll read the *RF* spec and rethink my "dream" device. ;)

The RF protocol allows for a single dim/bright command. The various "transceivers" react to it differently - most send a 12% step to the powerline, the RR501 tends to send 18% (due to a bug in its firmware). The protocol is explained here...

ftp://ftp.x10.com/pub/manuals/cm17a_protocol.txt

At present I have a jukebox on my computer but I can't seem to get my music to record on to the jukebox. It shows me the recording but when I go back to it the music has gone. I would be greatful if you have any ideas on what I can do to make it work?

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

If you're building a zillion, that may be the right question to ask. If you're building one, you're probably better off buying a solution. Messing with the power line when you don't know what you're doing is an invitation for a fire truck.

And that "treatment" is the problem. Safety issues, reliability issues for hardware and data.

You can buy devices that can connect your modem over the power line. My experience was that the performance was horrible...when they worked at all.

connect 8 dip switches to 8 pins

google firecracker x10, you can't miss it. Sad that they're now $40. They used to give them away.

Don't count on it happening really fast:

"The uptick in Hewlett-Packard is purely because of market psychology and will pass as the company still has the same mess in its hand and doesn't have anyone to run the ship long term," said Cummins Catherwood, managing director, Walnut Asset Management.

But given my experience with such experts, maybe the above is a 'buy' signal.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

This is also a wired solution, and is similar to the above. I use the IOM142A. It's a bit cheaper and has the advantage of 4 relays to use as outputs and 4 optoisolated inputs. Limitation is 32 1-wire devices.

In article , Jim Thompson wrote: [...]

I'll add:

(3) An RF responder that is pinged from a truck going down the street.

I know, some places use this for water meters, but I expect that someone has done it for power meters.

...Jim Thompson

When I was a kid, we had a flat rate electric water heater. It could be turned off by the power company, during periods of high demand, using a power line carrier system. The power companies also used the power lines to carry low speed data. However, neither of those systems required anywhere near the bandwidth of BPL, nor were they likely to cause interference.

In misc.industry.utilities.electric John wrote: | Don Lancaster wrote: | |> I guess I was involved in the earliest of powerline carrier |> communications. Back in 1961 at Femco. |>

|> It did not work then and it will not work now. |>

|> Ferinstance, an ancient Diablo 630 printer has such a good noise filter |> that it takes out any X-10 device within 200 feet. | | Powerline communications doesn't work in the 21st century? Really? Gosh | somebody forgot to tell these people: |

Hams continue to speak out well after BPL is operating. The interference is documented. Further, BPL is, itself, ruined by nearby transmitters.

Although any wire infrastructure can carry data, it does have limits based on many factors. And power lines are not designed for high data rates. They are unshielded, and as a result are susceptible to interference, and radiate their own interference. Phone lines also have documented problems, but at least they are twisted. The only part of the power lines that are twisted are the triplex overhead drops.

BPL is going to be very limited in top speed. As bandwidth goes up, so goes the sensitivity to noise and interference. Things like electronic ballasts operating between 20 kHz and 50 kHz are going to be another interference source.

The power companies are just playing a "me, too" game on this. They wanted in on the "riches" the internet was bringing to telephone and cable companies. But as the bandwidth demands of the market top 100 mbps, power companies are going to be playing the tune "where'd they go?". It's a bad investment for the power companies. Right now, I wouldn't put any money in their stock.

Hello Eduardo,

It depends on how reliable it has to be. Personally I would not control anything critical with X10. Other than that it works for us.

Several, such as Lonworks. But then it gets expensive.

A device that plugs into your PC. It sends X10 RF commands to the wireless transceiver instead of using a powerline modem like we do.

Whatever you do, make sure it is geared towards 50Hz. The X10 modules we are using in the US are set for 60Hz. For a reasonable signal to noise ratio you need to have the 120kHz bursts of X10 happen at the zero crossing. Or at least near those.

Saludos, Joerg

Hello Peter,

In Germany they send around control signals to turn on "night storage heaters". Basically a huge block of bricks that is heated up off-peak and then a fan kicks out the stored heat during the day. Usually there are several such units per residence. The control of these via the power grid is very reliable. I believe they can selectively turn on groups of them but there were some restrictions as to which areas could receive the control signals to within the prescribed specs.

Anyone who wants to check that out and can read German could search Google for the terms "Nachtspeicherheizung" and "Rundsteuerung".

Meter reading could be done staggered. That way the amount of data can be spread out over each month. Pretty much in the same way that the meter reader travels their monthly route.

But there is one obstacle to all this. I heard from someone in the power biz that occasionally it was said "so-and-so does not like these research projects if they lead to the elimination of jobs".

Regards, Joerg

I've converted a few of the MC460 mini controllers to work from

Hello Andrew,

It's been too long ago that I looked at the protocol. But I remember it detected the zero crossing and placed the burst there, plus on subsequently calculated three-phase crossings. So while it may work on single phase it might not be that reliable when another module runs off another phase, even when there is a bridge.

Thing is, in the US homes don't generally have three-phase power.

Regards, Joerg

Philip Lewis wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@unix42.andrew.cmu.edu:

First, I have to admit that I don't know the configuration of a Palmpad. Perhaps it is better that I am unbiased.

I don't want equal and independent access to 256 devices. Who can remember that many codes? I would have to hang a sign on every light, fan, and other controlled device providing its address to make use of that scheme. I want to operate at a higher level of abstraction.

I just want access to a few independent functions, and the ability to send out commands to a controller that will implement whatever scenes or scenarios that I have programmed into it.

Thus, I would have a remote (for example) with 16 buttons and a 17th (and maybe 18th) shift button. Any button (or shifted button) can be programmed to send an ON or OFF command to any specific unit on any housecode. Perhaps even permit it to send ALL LIGHTS ON or ALL OFF or DIM or BRIGHTEN or any other X10 operations.

Holding the first two buttons for three seconds puts the unit into a programming mode (LED illuminates on the unit). Press the button, or shift plus the button that I want to program. Then press a button for the housecode, press a button for the unit, press a button for the command. LED blinks a couple of times to acknowledge and turns off.

When I press the button that I just programmed, it sends the command that I programmed into it. Maybe we will set this up so that a button can even send a series of commands. Oh, and I want the programming saved in a nonvolatile memory, so it remains even if the battery dies. How about a USB or RS-232 or ethernet connector so that I can connect this to my computer, both to save the programming that I loaded, and to upload programming that is saved on the computer or even(!) that I created on the computer.

Now I can label each button for the function it commands.

Two shift buttons gives me {unshifted, shift1, shift2, shift1+shift2] four possible states for each of the 16 buttons. 64 commands are a large number, and with the right layout on the remote I might even manage to label this much next to the buttons.

Maybe there are buttons with labels like "Dim TV Light", but there are far more buttons with labels like: "Breakfast", "Leave House", "Arrive Home", "Heat Spa", "Night Security", "Security Alert", "Evening", etc. that operate (possibly via a controller) whole groups of devices.

....or I can dream about what could be accomplished with an affordable touch screen display...